GUJRAT: At least seven more dialysis machines will be installed in the Gujrat Kidney Centre at a cost of around Rs10.1 million donated mainly by expatriate Pakistanis belonging to Norway.

Patients Welfare Association President Mian Muhammad Ijaz, who also heads the kidney centre’s governing body, told Dawn on Tuesday that the number of patients at the kidney centre had increased and it required addition of more dialysis machines. He said the decision to purchase new machines hadbeen taken at the last meeting of the BoG held in June. The order to import seven dialysis machines from Germany was issued a couple of days ago, he said.

The machines would be delivered to the kidney centre for the installation within next two months after which the capacity of doing daily dialysis would further be enhanced at the centre, said Mr Ijaz. He said the financial resources for the purchase of five out of seven machines had been provided by expatriates from Norway where the Pakistan Union Norway chairman, Qamar Iqbal, had organised a donors’ conference in August last year whereas local donors had provided funds for the remaining two machines.

Dr Abbas Gondal, the administrator of the Gujrat Kidney Centre, said currently 32 dialysis machines were functional. He said 70 to 80 kidney patients were being given dialysis facility daily in three shifts. Now at least 100 patients would get dialysis facility. He said most of the patients would get free dialysis facility.

A sum of Rs 8 million was being spent daily on the free treatment of the kidney patients at the Centre. The amount has been donated by the philanthropists of Gujrat for the last four years.

A lithotripsy machine had also been installed at the kidney centre four months ago and it was donated by the late Chaudhry Ahmed Saeed, a former chairman of the Pakistan International Airlines.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2020